


Letting Go

by Lilbreck



Category: The Originals (TV), Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-06
Updated: 2014-03-06
Packaged: 2018-01-14 19:20:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1277887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lilbreck/pseuds/Lilbreck
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Caroline is in New Orleans and convinces Klaus that he needs to stop holding on so tight to everything, but not everyone is happy with that. {set some undefined time in the future}</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Klaroline Vision Wednesday. Drabble request: "I should have turned my back you ages ago!"

“And now I suppose you’ll tell me yet again how you should have turned your back on me ages ago?”

Elijah heard the shout as neared the stairs. He sighed deeply and started toward his brother’s art room, ready to break up another fight between his siblings.

“It’s a bit too late for that now.”

The almost bitter reply did not come from his sister. The voice was vaguely familiar, though he couldn’t really place it. Unable to ignore his curiosity, he continued on toward the argument while listening in.

“Somewhere between digging an imaginary splinter out of your back and that damn graduation gift, I crossed a line and now I couldn’t turn my back on you if I wanted to.”

There was a heavy silence that followed that statement, during which Elijah came to the room they were standing in. Though he made no move to hide himself, they were too focused on each other to notice him. Looking at the young woman, it dawned on him who she was. Caroline Forbes –one of Elena Gilbert’s friends. He could recall his brother dancing with her at their family ball, but he had no idea that they had any kind of a relationship beyond that.

“Whatever else is going on between us, we are friends and I can’t let my friend tear himself apart and destroy everything he has. You can’t ask me to do that. It hurts too much.”

He could see the anguish on both their faces as his brother nearly stumbled toward Caroline. Klaus’s hands grasped the sides of her face as he leaned his forehead against hers. Elijah felt a twinge of guilt for witnessing this intensely personal moment, but it wasn’t enough to make him leave.

“What would you have me do, Caroline? Should I leave everything, let them all win? Tell me what you want from me. Do you want me to walk away from it all, to lose them all? I’ll be alone.”

Caroline’s hands jerked up and she clutched onto his shoulders. When she answered, though, her voice was determined and strong.

“The tighter you hold on to all of them, to all of this, the quicker it will slip through your hands. If they all abandon you when you let go, then they’re not worth holding onto so tight anyway. And if they do, you’re not going to be alone. I will still be here.”

Elijah heard his brother’s quickly indrawn breath and saw his body rock slightly, though he never let go of his hold on Caroline.

“I meant what I said, Klaus. I crossed a line at some point. I came here because I was told you needed me, and now I don’t think I could leave, not even if you tried to make me. We can do this, but you have to let me help you.”

Instead of answering, Klaus leaned in for a kiss that looked almost savage from where Elijah stood. Finally, that twinge of guilt became too much for him to ignore, and he turned and silently headed to his room.

He should have been feeling joy. After all, a loosing of his brother’s hold would mean he was free to go. He would have no more obligation to try and make amends for the sins he had committed against his brother so very long ago. Klaus would no longer need him.

But he didn’t feel joy at all; instead the thought of being free left him unsettled. What was he going to do?


	2. Chapter 2

It had been an emotionally draining night for Caroline. She had spent hours laying on Klaus’s bed with him wrapped around her as he told her story after story about his family and him. She could hear the pain and regret in his voice, but also the joy at some of the memories. She knew that he was saying goodbye to them, convinced that they would never stay with him by choice.

Now, the following morning, she wasn’t really sure herself that they would stay. There was a lot of history, and perhaps too much bitterness between them all. She could only be here for Klaus no matter what happened. However, that didn’t mean that she couldn’t enjoy some alone time with a stack of pancakes.

The pancakes were in the oven warming, so Caroline pulled them out and turned to set them out to eat. It was then she noticed that she had company. Elijah was sitting on the other side of the kitchen table looking perfectly relaxed and staring at her. She had never really spent any time in the company of Klaus’s older brother, save for the time they found out about Klaus’s supposed death. Faced with the full focus of his attention now, she fought the urge to squirm.

Years of pageants and playing the perfect party hostess in Mystic Falls had given her a pretty decent poker face. She could only hope that it held out until Klaus made an appearance. Until then, however, she would be damned if she would let him see exactly how nervous he made her. Time to play Suzy Homemaker until he decided to explain why he was being all creepy. Setting the platter down, she gave him her best Miss Mystic Falls smile.

“Good morning. Would you like some pancakes?”

His small smile was a bit too much on the patronizing side for Caroline’s taste, but she kept hers friendly all the same.

“That would be lovely, Miss Forbes.”

They were both silent as Caroline got out another plate and more silverware. She noticed that Elijah’s eyes never left her, and she could feel a knot of tension start to form in the pit of her stomach. She was beginning to doubt Elena’s claims that somehow this was the moral brother. It seemed more and more likely that this was just the brother who hid it all better under a thin veneer of charm and politeness. Definitely not what she wanted to deal with first thing in the morning.

Sitting down to eat, she tried to not make it obvious she was avoiding looking at him. She began to wish that she had brought a book or something along with her to read while she ate. She could feel his stare on her, even as she heard the scrape of his knife and fork on the plate. Halfway through her pancakes, she was mentally cursing Klaus for sleeping in when Elijah finally spoke.

“These are absolutely delicious.”

Caroline looked up with a pleasant smile at the sound of his voice. She kept the smile firmly in place, even as she noticed that –while his words were polite—the look on his face was cold. Apparently, he was ready to talk about why he was really sitting at the breakfast table with her. Caroline did her best to ignore the feeling of dread she could feel starting to spread through her.

“I couldn’t help but notice, Miss Forbes, you seem to know your way around here very well. In fact, you have apparently made yourself at home.”

She wondered if he intended her to hear the note of bitterness in his voice, or if he was really that offended by her presence. She would have expected it from Rebekah –they had a somewhat confrontational relationship—but Caroline didn’t have the first clue as to why Elijah would care one way or another about her being here. However, she wasn’t going to let him make her feel unwelcome. She was here for Klaus, and anyone who didn’t like it could go to hell.

Dropping all pretense of politeness, Caroline set her silverware firmly down on the table, leaned in, and looked him in the eye with a smirk that she hoped grated on his nerves.

“Mr. Mikaelson, you’ll know when I’ve made myself at home here. The furniture will have all been replaced and I’ll have burned that god awful painting of a window.”

The only warning Caroline had that someone else had joined them was the small flicker of Elijah’s eyes behind her. Then, better late than never, a welcome voice came from the doorway.

“Caroline, I’m hurt. I love that painting.”

Turning around with a genuine smile, Caroline felt free to completely ignore Elijah and his weird issues with her.

“You don’t love that thing. It’s tacky and pointless. You probably don’t even know what painting I’m talking about.”

Klaus joined them for breakfast and everything went smoothly. However, Caroline noticed that Elijah never lost the pinched look from his face, nor did he really contribute to the conversation. She didn’t actually feel all that bad that he seemed uncomfortable. After all, Klaus was her friend, not Elijah.

While part of her would dearly love to know why he didn’t seem to like her, she had too much to deal with as it was. He would simply have to go on disliking her while she did her best to ignore him.


End file.
